Do Herbs Really Work?
As I watch the Senna plant in my garden start to flower, I am reminded of a question I am sometimes asked. The question is, “Do herbs really work?” Or another variation I often hear is, “Do you really believe in herbs?”
This question used to bother me. As an herbalist, it was easy to perceive this question as undermining the work that I do. I didn’t know how to engage with the question without becoming defensive. I felt the weight of having to defend thousands of years of traditional knowledge against someone who might think of me as a quack.
Over time, I got better at answering this question. And with practice the conversation switched from feeling super charged to feeling more matter of fact. Even so, I still had my guard up. When I would be asked this question, I perceived it as accusatory.
Then one time, the conversation had a different ending, and the cycle of accusation and defensiveness was broken. The conversation went something like this:
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m an herbalist.”
“Oh… So, do herbs really work?”
“Let me ask you something. Do you drink coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Does it work?”
“Yes.”
“Coffee is an herb. It happens to be a strong herb. Medicinal plants have effects, sometimes strong, sometimes mild.”
This is the point in the conversation where I was accustomed to the other person seeming more skeptical and myself feeling more defensive. In this case, the other person said,
“Oh, I get it now, that’s cool!”
I was stunned, to say the least.
There was no push back. This person genuinely wanted to know something, and I was able to answer using an example that he had personal experience with. I remember I laughed and said,
“Oh, that was easy. Usually, people like to argue with me about it!”
This interaction changed things for me. Since this conversation, I no longer feel upset when this question is asked. Instead, I hear the question as an opportunity for discourse, and I don't worry as much about the outcome.
If you are wondering what this has to do with Senna, it is that Senna is an undeniable laxative. You might recognize it from products like Sennakot and Smooth Move Tea. It is another herb that people are familiar with, that has a noticeable effect. I don't necessarily use Senna as an example when I have this conversation, because not everybody wants to talk about bowel movements. However, as an example, it works the same as coffee for helping people to understand how plants can affect our bodies.
Senna is in flower in my garden now, and soon those flowers will become seed pods. Those seeds will contain a strong laxative agent known as anthraquinones. The seed pods can be made into medicine to be used for occasional constipation when a stimulating laxative is needed. Seeing Senna in my garden reminded me that herbs do have undeniable effects, and that embodied experience is often the best teacher.
About me
My name is Jillian Bar-av and I am a Registered Herbalist and Licensed Nutritionist. I specialize in supporting people who have complex urinary tract conditions, such as Interstitial Cystitis, with a comprehensive holistic approach that helps people to increase their quality of life. I’ve seen how healing herbs can be for the urinary system and how much they can help people to feel well again. Working with herbs is not only deeply healing, but part of my philosophy that it takes healthy people to create a healthy planet, and I want to make a difference for both.
If you are interested in learning about my clinical practice, or scheduling an appointment, you can do that here: https://www.greenspringherbs.com/treatments
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